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Lood sits out but Boks stick to plan for Brisbane game

rugby15 September 2021 09:00| © SuperSport
By:Gavin Rich
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Springboks © Gallo Images

There is one injury enforced change and a rotation selection in one of the front-row positions to the Springbok team for Saturday’s return Castle Lager Rugby Championship fixture against the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

                               
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The most significant change comes in the second row, where Lood de Jager’s towering presence in the lineout and strong influence on the mauling game will be missed in a match that the Boks are now desperate to win after their hiccup last week. Marvin Orie, with six test caps to his name and one start, will take the responsibility of leading the lineout this week in De Jager’s absence.

VIDEO ANALYSIS - where did the Boks go wrong in first Australia test?

De Jager came off the field late in the first game against Australia with what looked like a shoulder injury. Bok coach Jacques Nienaber is to explain the selections in an online media conference later on Wednesday but it would appear that the injury is the reason for De Jager missing out.

In the other change, Trevor Nyakane comes back into the starting team at loosehead prop for Steven Kitshoff, who moves to the bench in the solitary front-row change. Nyakane, who was injured playing against Argentina in Gqeberha earlier in the championship, sat out completely when the Boks lost narrowly to Australia on the Gold Coast last week. Ox Nche, who played as a replacement last week, sits out this game.

KOLBE STILL ABSENT

The other significant feature of the starting team for Brisbane is the continued absence of Cheslin Kolbe. The wing was injured in training a few days before the first test and it was hoped he would be back for this game to inject his X-factor into the Bok attacking game. However he is clearly not ready to play so Bok fans will have to wait for the games against the All Blacks, that start the following weekend, to see the man who scored the crucial and ultimately series winning try against the British and Irish Lions back in action.

It is also interesting to note that Nienaber has stuck with the six/two split between forwards and backs on the bench, which confirms that there will be no change to the plan implemented at the Gold Coast. Instead, there will be a hope that the players will execute the plan better this time.

Kitshoff’s appearance on the bench for Nche is the only change to the ‘Bomb Squad’ grouping that were on duty three days ago, with the three loose-forward combination of Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden and Jasper Wiese remaining intact even though some critics have suggested having so many loose-forwards on the bench is unnecessary.

BACK-UP KICKER

It also means that Damian Willemse remains as the only outside back on the reserve bench and is also still the main place-kicking back-up in the squad to flyhalf Handre Pollard. Willemse has been in good form in general play, particularly when he comes on in the midfield, and produced a try-saving tackle at a crucial moment when he was on at flyhalf in last week’s clash.

However, there are question marks over his place-kicking ability, something that will need to be on song should Pollard be forced to leave the field through injury, thus leaving Willemse as the only place-kicking option outside of possibly Willie le Roux.

Willemse was wide with his first ever attempt at posts in a Bok jersey when he tried to convert the third Bok try at the CBUS Stadium, prompting former Bok lock Victor Matfield, in the SuperSport Studio as an analyst, to question whether the Boks shouldn’t have a more reliable place-kicker as back-up.

Willemse is a consummate professional and works hard on his game, and will no doubt have worked hard on his place-kicking in Australia, but there is a feeling in the Cape, where he plays his provincial and franchise rugby, that he is a more confident all-round player when he isn’t entrusted with the place-kicking duties. When he plays for the Stormers or Western Province as a fullback it is Tim Swiel who takes the place-kicking responsibilities.

Springbok team: Willie le Roux, Sbu Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk, Duane Vermeulen, Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi (captain), Marvin Orie, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Trevor Nyakane.

Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Jasper Wiese, Herschel Jantjies, Damian Willemse.

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